Harris: Amped Up Bradley Loves Chicago Crowd At Ryder Cup
By Adam Harris-
MEDINAH (CBS) Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley picked right up where they left off at the 39th Ryder Cup.
After a dominant 7 & 6 victory Saturday morning, the veteran and rookie pairing is 3-0 and will now enjoy an afternoon off, their first match off of the competition.
"I wanted to make sure that guys got back out there that hadn't played," Bradley said. "I would much rather sit and have a guy who didn't play go and play because I want everybody to be ready for singles."
Their 7 & 6 win tied a Ryder Cup record as that margin of victory has only happened twice ever before.
Europeans Lee Westwood and Luke Donald didn't know what hit them, as Mickelson and Bradley had six birdies through those 12 holes, and no bogies.
The crowd is out in even stronger numbers than Friday's opening round, and the atmosphere cannot be denied in favor of the United States who lead the Europeans 8-4 into the afternoon session.
"You know, Chicago should be very proud of the way the fans have acted," Bradley said. "I think the crowd has been pro American, obviously, and they're getting me and Phil very excited. I can barely contain myself."
Every hole matters with match play, and the people know it, on edge for every shot, lining up three or four holes in advance to catch a glimpse of their favorite player, only for a split second.
"It's just been a great atmosphere for me because I love watching the Patriots and the Celtics play, and I love when they get the crowd going," New England area native Bradley said. "I love when they run up to them and get them excited, and for me that was my kind of mentality this week."
The United States used that crowd to win three of the four morning matches. Jason Dufner and Zach Johnson defeated Nicolas Colsaerts and Sergio Garcia 2 & 1 and Jim Furyk and Brandt Snedeker held off a late surge by world number one Rory McIlroy and partner Graeme McDowell to win 1 Up.
The only loss of the morning for the United States came at the hand of Ian Poulter and Justin Rose, where despite Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson forcing it to go 18, Simpson missed a 10 foot putt that would've halved the point.
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